We have the privilege of living in an era where identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or trans does not imply the same hardships that the community faced half a century ago. That is not to say that the LGBTQ+ community does not still face discrimination in their day-to-day lives, but now we have indexes to measure it, organizations to monitor it, and supposedly governments willing to regulate it. In the UK, Stonewall has been fighting for an inclusive and equal academic environment for homosexual and transgender people since 1989. It is partly because of them that we now have the freedom to talk openly about gay, lesbian, and trans people in schools and universities. It is because of them we are not censored or programmed to stigmatize an entire community.

Why does it matter?

In their fight to establish a standard for inclusivity in education, Stonewall had partnerships with every single university in the UK until last year when University College London (UCL) decided to leave claiming that membership could inhibit academic freedom. This year, the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) announced that it is going to cut off ties with Stonewall as well. The organization gathered data on employment equality and ranked workspaces, through its UK Workplace Equality Index. Neither of the universities scored within the Top 100 Employers list, even though they aimed to do that, which could be why they ended their partnership. The LSE Student  Union is now actively fighting to revoke the administration’s decision. I will go over the cultural significance of Stonewall, how the movement evolved in the UK, and the consequences for students given universities’ sudden decision to quit contribution to the index.

Stonewall Inn, 1969 

The 60s were not particularly welcoming for LGBTQ+ people in the United States, so they found refuge in gay bars and clubs to express their sexuality, and it still wasn’t easy as establishments that provided services to suspected homosexual people would still be shut down. In 1966, this law was overturned, but expressing homosexual behaviour remained illegal. Gay people were not allowed to dance with each other, kiss, or hold hands in public. Stonewall Inn was initially a “straight bar” that was bought by the Genovese crime family and turned into an establishment for gay people. It did not require a liquor licence and since there was very little police interference, the owners could cut costs as they saw fit. Nevertheless, it became an important part of gay culture at the time as it was spacious, had a low entry fee, and was one of the few bars in New York City that allowed dancing. Raids frequently occurred, but the owners were usually tipped off so they had time to hide any signs of illegal activity. 

On the morning of June 28th, 1969, a police raid occurred at the Stonewall Inn where the owners were left uninformed. Police officers entered the bar, and arrested 13 people including staff members and people who were cross-dressing. Tensions escalated and physical altercations began between the police and customers in Stonewall. At one point, bystanders started throwing cobblestones, coins and bottles at the police officers, who barricaded themselves inside Stonewall. Rioters attempted to set the bar on fire, but soon after reinforcements intervened and rescued the policemen, along with a journalist, from the establishment. Riots that gathered thousands of people continued in the area for another 5 days, flaring up after the journalist published his account of the event. A year later, on June 28th 1970, thousands of people marched from Stonewall Inn to Central Park in what became the first gay pride parade in America. 

Stonewall today remains an important symbol in the fight for gay rights. It marks the first instance in which gay people stood up to the discrimination and social injustice that they had been historically subjected to. It not only inspired people to speak up and take a stand for their rights as humans but most importantly set a precedent, illuminating the success that sufficient mobilisation can bring to enacting positive, inclusive change. 

Stonewall UK

On May 24th, 1988, Section 28, a piece of legislation that aimed to prohibit the ‘promotion of homosexuality’, was adopted as law. This was adopted by most schools across the UK, which meant that homosexuality or anything related was fully censored. This resulted in the suppression of LGBTQ+ students. Furthermore, the wording chosen for the law was evidently homophobic. Homosexuality is not an ideology that can be promoted, it is an identity that one is born with and is outside of one’s control. 

As a response to the legislation, Stonewall UK was formed one year later, on May 24th, 1989. The name was inspired by the riots at Stonewall Inn in 1969 and ever since it was founded it has been at the center of gender and sexuality debates. In the beginning, the organization aimed to achieve equality for homosexual people, and in 2003 they celebrated the repealment of Section 28. It was only in 2015 that they started advocating for the rights of transgender people as well, and apologised for not doing so in the past. Through the years, Stonewall UK has proved itself to be reliable in their protection of gay rights. It uses different tools to measure and highlight the discrimination that homosexual people face. Stonewall contributed to the fight for same-sex couples’ right to marriage, adoption, have civil partnerships, possess legal recognition as parents,  and receive equal treatment in the workplace for more than 30 years. However, it is their position on trans folks, which emphasizes gender identity that has become increasingly problematic in the eyes of many. The controversy stems from their position that gender identity should come before biological sex, which is considered by its critics to be aggressive and extremist. Employers have decided to leave the Diversity Champions programme, as they do not want to accept this view, and do not wish to be measured based on it, but isn’t that just another way of proving that they are not ready to include and not discriminate against transgender people?

Prospects for Students and Staff

While UCL has released a justification for its decision to cut off affiliations with Stonewall, LSE has failed to do so. Students are disappointed in the decision and have released a public statement expressing their concern about the decision, especially considering that some of the founding members of Stonewall were LSE alumni. They fear that leaving Stonewall could possibly justify gender discrimination and transphobic behaviour. They are now calling on the administration of the university to release a statement about the reasoning behind leaving Stonewall, as well as working along with students and staff to create an LGBTQ+ action plan to ensure no discrimination will occur. Hopefully, in the absence of Stonewall monitoring the work and academic environment in both LSE and UCL will manage to maintain the same standard of inclusivity and zero tolerance against discrimination policy. 

Image Source: Stonewall Riots from History.com